UPDATE: This story now includes new information from the Lexington County Coroner's Office concerning the victim's cause of death.
LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. -- The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said on Saturday that divers had recovered a boater from Lake Murray the previous week. The coroner's office now says the deceased did not drown.
According to a spokesperson for the SCDNR, the victim was going out fishing with friends on the morning of March 25. Authorities said he launched his boat from a private landing in the Leesville area.
Investigators believe he was waiting on his friends to launch their boat when they heard him calling for help. The victim then went under and didn't come back up.
Divers with the Department of Natural Resources found his body a short time later, officials said.
According to the Lexington County Coroner's Office, the victim was initially thought to have drowned but an autopsy later determined that the victim died of natural causes.
Because of this, the coroner's office did not announce the death or identify the victim with a public release.
